Floella Benjamin
As a child
I was born in Trinidad on the 23rd September and consider myself to be a true Libran because I like to find the balance of life in everything I do as well as making others happy. I belong to a loving family and had a wonderful happy childhood with great lasting memories which I often look back on with joy. But I did spend 15 months with cruel foster parents while my parents came to Britain before they sent for me and my two brothers , my sister and I. My two youngest siblings came to Britain with my mum.
I came to Britain when I was 10 and was really looking forward to a new exciting life and being reunited with my family again. But I only found heartache and rejection almost every day from both adults and children. So I had to dig deep to find a way to survive the harshness of living in Britain in the 60’s which I believe made me a stronger person able to cope with any adversity and also have plenty of material for storytelling. Having five brothers and sisters has taught me how to be competitive and I still have that characteristic whether it’s playing cards or answering quiz questions. As a child I dreamt of being a teacher because I loved school.
As an adult
I left school at 16 to help my parents support our large family, so I didn’t go to university. I did go to the university of life though and studied empathy and common sense. I have always lived in London. When I first came to Britain as a child my whole family lived in one tiny room in Chiswick before we moved to a house in South London. My first job was in a bank and I worked there for three years before I entered showbusiness. That was almost 40 years ago. I wrote my first book in 1979 as part of a Playschool set. I’ve gone on to write over 20 books since then from picture books to cookery books. The book that has meant the most to me is Coming to England which I wrote 15 years ago, because I have not only left a historic account of my childhood for my children but it has helped to purge the unhappy episode of my time in Britain. I adapted the book into a film for the BBC and it won an RTS Award. I appeared on Playschool from 1976 to 1988 and have worked with and for children ever since then, campaigning on their behalf. I received an OBE for my work in broadcasting and an honorary doctorate from the University of Exeter for my work with children. I am now the Chancellor of the University of Exeter.
As an artist
I write all my books long hand with pencil and paper. I find I write best late at night when there are no disturbances. I speak out each word as I write so that I can hear the words as though I am telling the story to someone. It takes me a long time to settle down to write the book but once I have formulated all the ideas in my head and written up my notes I can finish a book within weeks. I adore telling stories and creating writing using numerous adjectives which I think is the best way to excite children’s minds and get them to see the imagery that I am describing. I believe this also encourages them to get into reading and writing too.
I love thinking up ideas for books that educate, excite and entertain. When someone tells me that one of my books has helped them to cope with life it inspires me to write even more.
Things you didn't know about Floella Benjamin
- I interviewed Roald Dahl at his home in Great Missenden about the final book he wrote and he invited me to eat linseed with him as he said it helped him to go regularly.
- I hate graffiti, people who spit in the street and people who don’t say thank you when I stop for them at a zebra crossing.
- I once won a big cash prize at a disco dancing competition in Spain in 1972
- I once had two Doberman Pinscher dogs called Bow and Arrow
- I sing with the author Ken Follet’s rock band and we do gigs all over the world for charity and fun.
- I released a record called Reggae Rita and the album it was on won a gold disc for the BBC
- I can’t ride a bike or roller skate no matter how hard I try to learn. I even had to turn down a job because it involved me cycling round London.
- I was the first person in Britain to wear beaded plaits which caused quite a sensation in the 70’s.
- I’m a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London which means I can be called on to represent the Queen at official occasions if she or the Lord Lieutenant can’t be there.
- I’ve run ten consecutive London Marathons and walked 100 miles along the Great Wall of China. For charity.